Positioning means for sound attenuating ear cups on safety helmets



Sept. 10, 1968 J. A. AILEO 3,400,406

POSITIONING MEANS FOR SOUND ATTENUATING EAR CUPS ON SAFETY HELMETS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 17, 1966 INVENTOR. fic/rro/v A 4/150 Sept. 10, 1968 J. A AILEO POSITICNING MEAN S FOR SOUND ATTENUATING EAR CUPS ON SAFETY HELMETS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 17, 1966 INVENTOR k50/v4 4/150 United States Patent 3,400,406 POSITIONING MEANS FOR SOUND ATTENUAT- ING EAR CUPS ON SAFETY HELMETS Jackson A. Aileo, Carbondale, Pa., assignor to Leonard Peter Frieder, Great Neck, N.Y. Filed May 17, 1966, Ser. No. 550,679

I 5 Claims. (Cl. 2-6) ABSTRACT or THE DISCLOSURE A sound exclusion means for use with a head covering including a rigid shell and rigging means to support the shell on the head of a wearer, employing a leaf spring connected at its upper end to the rigid shell, and formed at its lower end to engage the ear cup and bias its against the ear of the wearer. The leaf spring is pivotable about the point of connection of the rigid shell, so that its bias force may be selectively applied to the ear cup. In another form, an auxiliary leaf spring is employed to supply biasing force to the principal leaf spring, and the auxiliary leaf spring is pivota-ble about the same point of connection.

Background of the invention Many mechanisms for positioning ear cups mounted on a head covering have been heretofore proposed. Typically, such mechanisms use a plurality of straps and buckles, although several resilient supporting mechanisms have been disclosed, as, for example, the mechanism shown in my Patent No. 3,148,376, issued Sept. 15, 1964. The use of a mechanism including a spring to selectively rnaintain sound attenuating devices about the wearers ears or to hold such devices in a position where they do not engage the ears, has been disclosed in my Patent No. 3,178,723, issued Apr. 20, 1965. The present invention embodies a mechanism which is far more simplified in comparison to that of the prior art, and which, unlike that art, operates on ear cups which are not located within the rigid shell of the helmet.

The present invention is particularly intended for use in connection with head coverings or helmets of the types shown and claimed in my Patent No. 3,190,973, issued June 22, 1965. The head coverings there disclosed include a rigid shell to cover the crown of the head; a rigging within the shell to adjust the vertical distance from the shell to the crown of the head; ear cups, preferably of elliptical shape; flexible means (straps or a fabric web) suspending the ear cups from the shellg'means by which the ear cups may be rotated about an axis generally perpendicular to the side of the wearers head, and maintained in any desired position to which they are rotated; and straps connecting the ear cups and extending across the nape of the neck and the chin for holding the ear cups in engagement with the cars. In such an arrangement, the chin strap must be tight in order to hold the ear cups snugly against the head around the periphery ofthe ears, so as to exclude external sounds. The chin straps are not comfortable when'tight, and so are provided with quick release snaps by which they can be disconnected when not needed. This permits external sounds to impinge on the ear, which is undesirable and may even be dangerous when the wearer is in the proximity of high intensity sound sources,.e.g., jet engines; The arrangement for the positioning of the ear cups shown in Patent No. 3,190,973 requires manual tightening of the ear cups against the wearers head in-order to make them effective to exclude sound.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an improved means for positioning ear cups snugly about the wearers ears. An additional object of "ice this invention is to enable the wearer thereof to readily determine tactually whether the ear cups are snugly positioned about his ears. Another object is to provide an improved means of attenuating or excluding external sound from the ear of the wearer.

A further object is to reduce the need for manual adjustment of ear cups suspended from a head covering in order to bring them into sound-excluding position with regard to the wearers ears.

A further object is to maintain ear cups suspended from a head covering in snug position about the ears of the wearer in spite of small movements of the helmet relative to his head such as may normally or accidentally occur while the helmet is being worn.

The foregoing and other objects of the present invention may be attained by providing a leaf spring of a resilient material fixed at its upper end to the rigid shell of a head covering at a point above the wearers ear, with its lower end in abutting contact with the ear cup, and selfbiased so that when the head covering is being worn normally, the spring applies to the ear cup a force directed inwardly towards the wearers ear. The spring is so positioned and constructed that when the helmet is not being worn, and the spring is in its normal relative position with respect to the helmet and the ear cup, the ear cup is biased by the spring to a position in which the lower end of the ear cup is slanted into the interior of the helmet. The ear cup must be manually moved outward against the spring, in order to place the helmet shell on the wearers head. This deflection of the spring from its unstressed position stores a force in it which is applied to the ear cup, holding the ear cup snugly against the wearers head, about his ear. The spring may be rendered inactive in regard to the ear cup by manually moving its lower portion outward away from the ear cup and rotating the spring about the point at which it is attached to the shell so that the lower portion rests against the side of the shell. By a quick tactual inspection, the wearer of the helmet may determine if the spring has been rotated and is resting against the side of the shell, and thus that the ear cup is not snugly positioned about his ear to attenuate or exclude external sound; conversely he may quickly determine if the spring is acting upon the ear cup to position it snugly about his ear.

Alternatively, the foregoing and other objects of the present invention may be attained by providing a leaf spring of a resilient material fixed at its upper end to the rigid shell of a head covering at a point above the wearers ear and self-biased so that, in the absence of any other element, when the head covering is being worn the spring would not be in contact with the ear cup; and a secondary leaf spring of a resilient material fixed at one end to the shell at the same point where the first spring is fixed, and self-biased so that when the head covering is being worn normally, the secondary spring applies to the first spring a force directed inwardly towards the wearers ear of suificient magnitude to put the first spring into abutting contact with the ear cup. The secondary spring is so positioned and constructed that when the helmet is not being worn, and the first and secondary springs are in their normal relative position with respect to each other and to the-helmet and the ear cup, the ear cup is biased by the springs to a position in which the lower end of the ear cup is slanted into the interior of the helmet. The ear cup must be manually moved outward against the springs, in order to place the helmet shell on the wearers head. This deflection of the secondary spring from its unstressed position stores a force in it which is applied through the primary spring to the ear cup, holding the ear cup snugly against the wearers head, about his ear. The secondary spring may be rendered inactive in regard to the ear cup by manually rotating it about the point at which it is attached to the shell so that the lower portion does not engage the primary spring. By a quick tactual inspection, the wearer of the helmet may determine if the secondary spring has been rotated and is not engaging the primary spring, and thus that the ear cup is not snugly positioned about his ear to attenuate or exclude external sound; conversely he may quickly determine if the secondary spring is acting upon the ear cup to position it snugly about his ear.

Other objects and features of the invention will be understood from the description of the accompanying drawings in which:

' FIG. 1 is a side view of a helmet in position on the head of the wearer, showing an ear cup suspended from the helmet and held in position by means of a spring constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a back view of the helmet of FIG. 1;

. FIG. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlargement of a portion of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a side view of a helmet illustrating an alternative embodiment of the present invention, showing an ear cup suspended from the helmet and held in position by means of two springs constructed in accordance with the invention; and

FIG. 6 is a section on line 66 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 1 shows a helmet 20 having a rigid shell 21 of suitable material and having an opening at the lower side thereof for receiving the head of the wearer and defined by edge 23 disposed at a level somewhat above the eyes and the nape of the neck. The shell is supported in the position shown on the head by rigging headband means, such as that disclosed in my Patent No. 3,241,154 (Dkt. No. 5319) issued on Mar. 22, 1966, and the embodiment shown carries a visor 25 such as that described in my Patent No. 3,237,202 (Dkt. No. 5013) issued on Mar. 1, 1966.

The shell supports a pair of ear cups 29, one of which is shown in FIG. 1 and both in FIG. 2. The edge 23 of the shell extends about a bay 33 formed in the shell to accommodate the ear cups 29. The helmet is provided with a fabric member 34 which is secured to the inner surface of the shell by means of screws 35 passing through holes in the shell 21 and threaded into nuts, the flanges of which engage the fabric member. In order to provide additional support for the depending portions of fabric member 34 which are disposed rearwardly of the ear cups 29, straps 38 are stitched to those portions of the fabric member at either side of the helmet and extend upwardly within the shell 21 where each strap is engaged at its upper end by one of the screws 35 which secures the fabric member 34 to the shell 21 of the helmet.

The fabric member 34 is provided with an opening bound with a tape 36 as shown in FIG. 3. This tape extends about a cord 37 disposed in a channel provided between a pair of upstanding flanges 27 on the ear cup 29. The cord 37 thus holds the fabric member 34 in engagement with the outer surface of the ear cup 29 while also providing for frictional slipping movement of the cup 29 relative to the taped edge of the opening of the fabric member. The ear cup 29 may therefore be rotated relative to the fabric member 34 about an axis generally perpendicular to the ear between angularly related positions to provide for fitting to the ear of the wearer, as described in my Patent No. 3,190,973, issued on June 22, 1965.

A valve plug 24 may be provided on the ear cup 29 for cutting off communication between the exterior and the interior of the ear cup through an opening in the wall of the ear cup as described in my copending application, Ser. No. 460,709 filed June 2, 1965 (Dkt. 5973). The plug, which may be made of flexible plastic or similar material, is connected to the wall of the ear cup 29 at one point by a screw 26.

As best seen in FIG. 2, the fabric member 34 on each side of the face is connected, by stitching 40 in the embodiment shown, to a nape portion 43 which extends across the back of the head or neck. This nape portion 43 also may carry an adjustable nape strap 44 provided with a buckle 46, the ends of the nape strap 44 being stitched as at 47 adjacent to the connection of the nape portion 43 with the fabric member 34. Thus the length of the connection between the depending side fabric members 34 may be adjusted to suit the required distance from the ear cups across the back portion of the neck or head of the wearer. The edges of the fabric member 34 and of the nape portion 43 may be bound with tapes 39 and 45, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, to prevent fraying.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, the fabric member 34 on each side of the wearers head may carry a reinforcing element 50, which may be stitched along its edges to the fabric member 34, this element 50 carrying one of the two cooperating elements 51 of a conventional snap fastener, the other element of which may be carried by the strap or other suitable part of a chin strap or of a gas mask, not shown in the drawing. In the embodiment of FIG. 1 the elements 51 shown are suitable for connecting a gas mask or other such device in proper fitting relation to the face of the wearer. The snap fastener elements 51 may be secured to the reinforcing elements 50 in any conventional manner, preferably so that they are fastened both to the portion of the fabric member 34 and to the reinforcing element 50. This reinforcing element 50 may be-made of sheet leather or other material suitable for the purpose. It will be understood that the forward pull of straps or other parts exerted upon the snap fastener elements 51 may be carried through the fabric member 34 and may be resisted by the nape portion 43 in engagement with the back of the neck or head. Such pull in some cases may have a component acting generally vertically and the straps 38 may cooperate with the nape portion 43 and itsauxiliary strap 44 to resist such pull exerted on the rearward part of the lower portion of the fabric 34, so as to retain this portion suitably conforming to the head of the wearer of the helmet.

A leaf spring is pivotally attached to each side of the shell 21 in the region of the center of the bay 33, over the ear cup 29, by means of a screw 61. Spring 60 extends down from the shell 21 so as to contact the outer surface of the ear cup 29, and is made of a resilient material. In the embodiment shown, spring 60, is shaped like an inverted T, when viewed from the side of the helmet as in FIG. 1. It has a stem portion 62, and branch portions 63, and these may be integral with each other, or may be welded together where they overlap, as shown. The stem portion 62 has a complex curvature, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in order to provide the desired resistance to deflection away from the head of the wearer. As shown, the stem portion 62 has an outwardly concave portion near its upper end, an outwardly convex portion at its center, and another outwardly concave portion at its lower end. The branch portions 63 are curved to substantially follow the cont-our of the outer surface of the ear cup 29, in order to better engage said outer surface. There is no connection between the spring 60 and the ear cup, but rather a simple abutting engagement which allows the ear cup to change position slightly, while the spring continues to be effective to hold the ear cup against the head of the wearer. When in the position shown by solid lines in FIG. 1, the spring acts to keep the ear cup snugly fitted against the head of the wearer, by exerting a force against the ear cup 29 which is directed towards the wearers head. This force is due to the springs deflection outward by the ear cup 29 which is itself moved outward manually when the helmet is put on. Spring 60 is able to pivot about screw 61 in order to follow small movements of ear cup 29, which may occur, for example, when the wearer shifts the helmet on his head, or when ear cup 29 is adjusted to the head of the wearer. Screw 61 passes through a short slot 68 in the spring 60, as best seen in FIG. 1, to allow short vertical movements of the spring which may be needed to accommodate some ear cup adjustments or movements.

Spring 60 may be readily shifted from the position in which it acts upon ear cup 29, to a retracted position illustrated by the dotted outline in FIG. 1. This is accomplished by manually moving the lower portion of spring 60 outwards away from the wearers ear so as to disengage it from ear cup 29, and rotating the spring about screw 61, so that the branch portions 63 rest against the side of the shell 21. The spring 60 will be held securely in this position because it exerts a force against the side of shell 21. This force is due to the outward deflection of the spring from its unstressed position prior to rotation, which deflection is in part maintained by the shell.

The position of spring 60 is readily ascertainable by a tactual inspection by the wearer. The wearer can readily feel with his fingers whether the spring is against the side of the shell in the retracted position or is engaging the ear cup. The ear cup will be most effective in attenuating or excluding external sound when the chin strap has been snapped closed and when spring 60 is engaging the ear cup. At times the wearer may desire to unsnap the chin strap and allow it to hang loose. By a tactual inspection he may ascertain whether the spring is still in its operative position. Alternatively, the wearer may desire to rotate spring 60 to its retracted position and to rely solely upon the action of the chin strap to position the ear cup about his ear. Or he may desire to both unsnap the chin strap and rotate spring 60 to its retracted position. After wearing the helmet with the ear cup in position about the ear, there is a residual sensation that it is still in this position even after it has been permitted to hang freely suspended. Thus, when the wearer is in a region of high intensity sound, the rapid positive tactual determination of whether the ear cup is snugly about his ear, afforded by the tactual inspection, will prevent him from erroneously thinking that it is snugly about his ear and he will not be subjecting himself to injury from the high intensity sound.

FIG. 4 shows the assembly of screw 61 in cross-section detail. Screw 61 passes through a hole in the shell 21 and is threaded on a nut 67 having a hub disposed in a hole in the fabric member 34..The hole in the fabric member 34 is in alignment with the hole in the shell 21. Tapes 65 may be stitched around the circumference of the hole in the fabric member 34 in order to reinforce it. The end of the nut 67 is held securely against the inner surface of the shell 21, the flange 64 of the nut being disposed inwardly of, but adjacent to, the portion of the fabric member 34 which is adjacent the inner surface of the shell. A lock nut, not shown in the figure, may be used in place of, or in addition to, nut 67 so as to prevent screw 61 from working its way out of the hole in the shell 21. A dished washer 69 between the head of screw 61 and the surface of spring 60 provides friction between the spring 60 and the shell, so as to hold the spring frictionally in any position to which it may be adjusted, while permitting further adjustment at all times.

When in the position shown by solid lines in FIG. 1, spring 60 maintains the ear cup 29 snugly against the wearers ear, thus attenuating or excluding external sound, and also reducing the need for manual adjustment of the various straps and buckles in order to achieve a snug fit. If, in the course of being worn, the helmet should move relative to the head, spring 60 will tend to maintain ear cup 29 snugly in position about the wearers ears.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate an alternative embodiment of the present invention. The same reference numerals are employed in these figures as were used in FIGS. 1 and 3 respectively to indicate corresponding elements; and the description of such elements will not be repeated here, except insofar as they differ from the previous description.

Spring 60, in the present embodiment, may have a shape and curvature similar to that described previously; however, the curvature of stem portion 62 is such that when spring 60 is in an unstressed condition, branch portions 63 are not in abutting contact with ear cup29, but are disposed outwardly from the ear cup. A secondary spring 70 is pivotally attached to each side of the shell 21 over the ear cup 29 by means of the same screw 61 from which spring 60 is attached. Spring 70 extends down from screw 61 so as to contact the outer surface of stem portion 62 of spring 60. It has a complex curvature, as shown in FIG. 6, in order to provide the desired resistance to deflection away from the head of the wearer.

I As shown, spring 70 is outwardly concave, roughly paralleling the adjacent part of stem portion 62. There is no connection between spring 70 and spring except for screw 61; otherwise they are in a simple abutting engagement. Spring is much stiffer than spring 60, and when spring 70 is in the position shown in full lines in FIG. 5, it acts on spring 60 by exerting a force against spring 60 which is directed towards the head of the wearer. This force is transmitted through spring 60 and exerted against the ear cup 29 so as to keep the ear cup 29 snugly fitted against the wearers head. This force is due to the deflection of spring 70 during assembly. Spring 70 is able to pivot about screw 61 in order to follow movements of spring 60 which result from small movements of ear cup 29, which may occur, for example, when the wearer shifts the helmet on his head or when ear cup is adjusted to the head of the wearer.

Spring 70 may be readily shifted from the position in which it acts upon spring 60, and through spring 60 upon ear cup 29, to a retracted position illustrated by the dotted outline in FIG. 5. This is accomplished by manually rotating it about screw 61.

The position of spring 70 is readily ascertainable by a tactual inspection by the wearer. The wearer can readily feel with his fingers whether spring 70 has been rotated to the retracted position or is engaging spring 60. The ear cup will be most effective in attenuating or excluding external sound when the chin strap has been snapped closed and when the springs are causing the ear cup to fit snugly against the head. At times the wearer may desire to unsnap the chin strap and allow it to hang loose. By a tactual inspection he may ascertain whether spring 70 is still in its operative position. Alternatively, the wearer may desire to rotate spring 70 to its retracted position and to rely solely upon the action of the chin strap to position the ear cup about his ear. Or he may desire to both unsnap the chin strap and rotate spring 70 to its retracted position. After wearing the helmet with the ear cup in position about the ear, there is a residual sensation that it is still in this position even after it has been permitted to hang freely suspended. Thus, when the wearer is in a region of high intensity sound, the positive determination of whether the ear cup is snugly about his ear, afforded by the tactual inspection, will prevent him from erroneously thinking that it is snugly about his ear and he will not be subjecting himself to injury from the high intensity sound.

Although not shown in the accompanying figures, ear cup 29 may include a telephone or radio receiver or the like.

In the embodiments of the invention described and in the different parts shown and described by way of illustration of operative devices embodying the features of the invention, variations may be made both in the form of the different parts and in the materials of which they are made while securing the functions as described, or equivalent functions, which carry out the features of the invention. The invention is not limited, therefore, to the particular embodiments disclosed, but by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a head covering including a rigid shell, and rigging means to support the shell on the head of a wearer; a

sound exclusion means in combination therewith, comprising:

(a) an ear cup dependent from said shell at one side thereof and adjacent to the side of the wearers head when the head covering is in place thereon; and

(b) positioning means for said ear cup including a leaf spring pivotally connected at its upper end to said rigid shell and formed at its lower end to engage said ear cup, said leaf spring being capable of pivotal movement about its upper end so that its lower end may alternatively engage said ear cup or the side of said shell.

2. Sound exclusion means as defined in claim 1, in which said leaf spring constitutes a primary spring and has an unstressed position in which it is spaced from said ear cup; and in which there is further included a secondary spring attached at one end to said rigid shell and having its other end movable between a first position in which it engages said leaf spring and a second position in which it is separated from said leaf spring, said secondary spring being effective only when its other end is in said first position and the helmet is on a wearers head to stress said leaf spring to bias said ear cup into snug, sound excluding engagement with the head.-

3. A sound exclusion means as defined in claim 2 in which said primary and secondary springs are attached to the same point on said rigid shell.

4. A sound exclusion means as defined in claim 2 in which said other end of said secondary spring is moved between said first and second positions by rotation about the point of attachment to said rigid shell.

5. In a head covering including a rigid shell, and rigging .8 mean s to support the shell'on the head of a wearer, a sound exclusion means, in combination therewith, comprising: a

(a) an ear cup; Y (b) flexible means connecting said ear cup to said shell at one side thereof, so that said ear cup depends from said shell adjacent tothe side of the wearers.head when=the head covering is in place thereonpand (c) positioning means for said ear cup including a leaf .spring attached at its upper end to said rigid shell and formed at its lower end to be engageable with .said .ear cup, said leaf spring having a normal con- 1 figuration so as, to be engaged by said ear cup and moved outwardly thereby to store spring force energy therein whenever said ear cup is moved to a depending-position with respect to said shell corresponding .to the position attained when the helmet is on a Wearers head, and so as to be disengaged from said ear cup whenever said ear cup is moved :inwardly of said rigid shell beyond the normal configuration of said-leaf spirng.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,030,627 4/1962 Rehman et al 2--6 3,148,376 9/1964 Aileo 2-6 3,193,841 7/1965 Haluska 2209 XR 3,197,785 8/1965 Simpson et al 2209 XR JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

JAMES R. BOLER, Assistant Examiner. 

